Building better hamburger with peppers, bacon, onion
I stumbled onto these burgers at Whole Foods Market last summer, after a long day of staring at a computer.
I rarely succumb to premade meat dishes because I know I can make them at home — where it would be fresher and, I’m sure, better.
And, really, a hamburger patty? How tough is that to make?
But there it was in the meat case, with bits of jalapeno, bacon and cheddar, calling my name. And I was on my way home, tired and hungry, and let’s face it, vulnerable in the food department.
So I bought the burger. In fact, I bought several because I had family coming to dinner. Then I bought the brioche buns on the stand nearby, because who doesn’t want a better bun? (There’s a reason product placement works.)
Once these burgers were slapped on the grill, then devoured, I knew this was my new go-to burger.
Next time around, I bought ground beef, then doctored it up myself, after a quick look online to see if I had left out any critical ingredients.
To test out these burgers, I turned to those same hungry family members who had wolfed down the earlier version.
“These are even better,” they mumbled with their mouths full.
Burger after burger, I made these all summer long. Occasionally I would walk past the meat counter to see if the premade versions were still there, but I never saw them again.
No matter. Now I make these burgers at home.
But I buy those brioche buns at the store.
Cowboy Burgers
4 to 6 slices bacon, diced 1 pound ground beef cup shredded cheddar cheese or to taste
1 to 2 jalapenos, seeded, deveined and diced, with a few whole slices for garnish ¼ cup minced onion or to taste Salt and cracked black pepper Butter
4 hamburger buns
Cook bacon and cool. Gently combine ground beef with bacon, cheese, diced jalapenos, onion, salt and pepper. Gently form meat mixture into 4 patties. Butter the cut side of buns.
Over direct heat with a hot grill, toast buns lightly (either directly on rack or on a grill pan). Remove and add burgers; cook until desired doneness. Serve on buns, garnished with jalapeno slices.
Makes 4 servings. Nutrition information: Each burger contains approximately 465 calories, 30 g protein, 28 g fat, 24 g carbohydrate (3 g sugar), 510 mg sodium, 110 mg cholesterol and 1 g fiber.
Adapted from Whole Foods Market